


Were You Expecting Me, Baby?

by 343EnderSpark



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Agender Character, Agender Steve Rogers, Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Multi, POV Alternating, Peggy and Becca are the pregnant ones, Peggy and Becca are wives, Peggy/Becca, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Pregnancy, Trans Bucky Barnes, Trans Character, Trans Female Character, Trans Male Character, Trans Steve Rogers, Trans Tony Stark, Transman Bucky, Transman Bucky Barnes, Transwoman Tony
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-13
Updated: 2019-09-13
Packaged: 2020-10-17 14:03:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20622245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/343EnderSpark/pseuds/343EnderSpark
Summary: While out on the town, Bucky meets Toni and they immediately click but before anything can happen, Steve calls, telling Bucky that his sister-in-law has gone into labor. It is over a year before Bucky finds Toni again.





	Were You Expecting Me, Baby?

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Baby, I Wasn’t Expecting You](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18226772) by [FreyaS](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FreyaS/pseuds/FreyaS). 

Bucky slunk into the bar, just completely done with the day. It had been another reminder of things he didn’t or couldn’t have. His job interview had been shit, but it was probably for the best. The person interviewing him had eyed him like he had some kind of communicable disease. He wondered if it was his arm. There was also the possibility that it was because he was trans, but he was able to pass physically and all his documents had been corrected. Perhaps his frustration with the day was the reminder that he might never have a family the way his sister did, though that didn’t feel right. Settling down was just something he’d never really thought about doing, but seeing Steve dote over Peggy, his sister’s wife, had caused his chest to constrict. 

Either way, Bucky needed to get out and have a moment to himself. He slid into a seat at the bar, waving over the bartender.

“I’ll take the strongest I can get with this.” He set a twenty dollar bill on the counter. The bartender pulled out a half full bottle of something Bucky didn’t recognize, poured him a shot and set the glass along with the bottle in front of him. Taking his payment, he gave a quiet nod and left to tend to another customer.

“You just got here, maybe you want to slow it down a touch?” A soft voice spoke from his left. 

Glancing over, Bucky spotted a beautiful woman offering him a gorgeous smile. If he’d been a better mood, he might have actually said something back. Instead he gave her a glare, downing his shot before turning his attention back to his own bubble of irritation.

He was downing his next shot when the bar stool next to him became occupied. Turning his head, the woman that had been a few seats down had moved closer. Bucky frowned at her.

“Here,” she pushed her glass over to him.

“And why would I want to taste a strangers drink?” It was clear and fizzy with a squeezed lime floating among the ice.

“To show you I’m not drunk and trying to talk you up.” She set an elbow on the counter and propped her chin on her hand. “You just look like you’re terribly worked up about something. I’m willing to offer an ear if you’d like.”

“Why are you here then if not to drink?”

“A date. But they stood me up. Sadly a very common issue.” She watched as he lifted her glass and took a sip. “I’m Natasha by the way.”

Wrinkling his nose like a child at the plain carbonated water it seemed she was enjoying, he set it back down in front of her. “James.”

Bucky’s eyes roamed over her, properly taking her in this time. Her dark hair was cut short, much shorter than his own chin length hair. She wore a red pantsuit, that Bucky was sure very few people could actually pull off. Bucky couldn’t help but think he was way out of his league here, but what else did he have to lose?

“Your date must be out of their damn mind to stand you up, doll.”

“If you’re not careful, I might think you’re flirting with me.” Natasha offered him a seductive smirk.

“And if I am?”

“It has been awhile since I had such a gorgeous partner like you. It’d be a shame to waste the opportunity.”

Bucky tried to not make it too obvious he’d been caught off guard, but the blinking to make sure she wasn’t some delusion might have given it away.

Giggling, Natasha stood up, holding out a hand. “Your place or mine.”

That was an easy enough question for him to answer as she led the way out of the bar towards a very high end sedan. Bucky barely had time to register the driver, someone whose name he caught as Happy, before the door was closed behind them. Natasha had him pinned against the other side, lips pressed to his.

His prosthetic arm, which he had been trying to downplay, came up to rest on her hips, pressing her into him. He broke the kiss, lifting an eyebrow as he looked at her. There was a moment of tense silence in the car and a shadow of fear clouded Natasha’s eyes. 

“I-” She tried to say before Bucky placed a finger over her lips.

“I usually mention it to potential partners myself, but I got a little carried away.” 

Her eyes widened as a smile of relief spread across her face. “I mean we were in an lgbt bar. I shouldn’t be too surprised, but bigots can pop up in the most unexpected of places.”

“Well you’re in good company this time.” 

Making a happy hum, she leaned back down and kissed Bucky, deeper this time. He slid his flesh hand around her neck, lacing his fingers through the short hairs at the nape of her neck. 

The drive felt both too long and too short. They kept to just kissing, which Bucky had no problem with because Natasha was very talented with her tongue and he couldn’t wait to see how far those talents went. The few times he had shifted his metal arm, it had lagged and he hoped she didn’t notice. 

* * *

Toni led the way into her large brownstone home, the larger man next to her taking it all in. She wasn’t trying to flaunt her wealth, but it did come with the territory when one was born into it. 

Standing on the first few steps that led up to her room, she watched as he tilted his head at a piece of artwork her mother had purchased so long ago. Oftentimes she forgot it was there. 

“Do you enjoy art?”

“My best friend is an artist. I’ve gained an appreciation for it. Is this an original Pollock?” He looked over at her in awe.

“I believe so. My mother was a collector.” Making her way down the steps and back to him, she slid her arms around his left arm and tugged gently. Her curiosity had her coming back to it but she’d not asked about it yet. “Perhaps later I could show you more, if you’d like.”

Bucky seemed to take note of what she was hinting at and she offered him a playful grin. With a nod, he pulled her into his side, closing the distance between them. “Could definitely use another round of those kisses of yours first.”

Laughing, she pulled away and raced up the stairs with him close on her heels. Before they could reach the door to her room, he managed to catch her and press her against the decorative wood paneling. His mouth was on hers, his hunger for closeness almost overwhelming. 

His flesh hand pinned both of her wrists to the door above her while his other slid from her waist down her side before moving back up, grazing her hardening cock. A shiver ran through her, reminding her just how long since she'd last let someone touch her so intimately.

As his hand tugged at her button up shirt to pull it free of her slacks, she wondered just how that metal hand would feel around her. She hoped he would be willing to use it in the most inappropriate ways. He ran it over the warm skin of her stomach, sending a shudder through her once more with the touch of the cool metal. 

Too soon he was pulling it away and bringing it up to the first button. By the time he reached the third, a wave of anxiety overwhelmed her. She broke the kiss and violently pulled away from him. 

“I'm sorry.” She immediately apologized. “I, uh, have a thing about my chest.” 

Toni looked down, studying the hand that had yet to lose its grip on her shirt. She frowned, glancing back up at him. Though he was trying to hide it, his expression was slightly horrified. 

“Natasha, I-” his jaw clenched as he tried to move his hand but it failed to respond. “Sorry, its just-”

It wasn't the first time that night she realized he was having issues with the arm but she hadn’t realized it was being that large of a problem. She lifted a hand and placed it gently on his wrist. 

“I was wondering about the lag.” Pushing up the sleeve, she finally got a better glimpse of the proesthic and grimaced. “That's a Hammer Tech arm, isn't it? Not the most reliable tech on the market.”

James nodded. “It was the only one the vet clinic could offer.” Looking up at her, he tilted his head to the side. “You know it?”

“I dabble in engineering. If you’d let me, I could probably fix it for you.” 

There was a moment of hesitation before he nodded. “Shame I've managed to ruin the moment, doll.” 

“That's alright, I'm sure we can pick up after, if you're still game.” Carefully yet awkwardly, she led the way to her workshop.

“If I haven't scared you off with the arm, then most likely.” He offered her a roguish smile.

The rest of the walk was filled with silence. Her lab had a whole floor to itself, filled with all her latest technology. Moving to her main workbench, she pulled up another stool for him to sit on. 

“Just dabble in engineering, huh?”

She laughed, grabbing her set of precision tools before turning back to him. 

“Perhaps it's a bit more than a hobby.” Toni admitted. “Alright, need you out of the henley. Sadly, not how I pictured getting you out of your shirt.” 

James laughed, though it was a little uneasy. “Not exactly how I pictured my evening going either.”

She watched him struggle a moment before reaching over and helping him take the shirt off, sliding it down his arm and letting it rest over his unmoving hand. His other hand ran nervously over his exposed chest, blush covering his cheeks. It didn't take a masters degree to realize he was self conscious of the many scars covering his torso. There were top surgery scars, the giant scar tissue where shoulder met metal, and many smaller scars that Toni could only guess at their origin. 

She thought about mentioning her own scars that decorated her breasts and ribs, but decided not to draw any more attention to them than she already had. Instead, she pulled out the tools she would need and opened the compartment on his upper arm to gain access.

“Jeez, no wonder you have issues, the wiring is a mess.” She murmured.

“I’d like to get a better one someday, but for now, it's all I got.” James shrugged. “Honestly, I'm pretty lucky I was able to get this one. There aren’t many prosthetics out there that are this high tech.”

Toni frowned and made a mental note to look into making better and cheaper options. She had the means, and had been trying to think of new projects recently. Her creative flow had been clogged up lately. It had been Pepper’s idea to go out and have fun, though the person she'd tried to set Toni up with had turned out to be a bust.

They fell into silence, while she poked around, trying to figure out which wire did what. With a bit more of a clunking noise than she thought necessary, James’ hand released its hold only to fall to his side, pulling a pained grunt from the man.

“Oh! Sorry!” She quickly lifted it to the table so it wasn’t a dead weight hanging at his side.

“I’ve dealt with worse.” He let out a sigh. “Guess I should let you be for the night. I can get this looked over at the VFW later.”

“You and I both know that could be weeks from now.”

Offering a shrug, he nodded. “It could be a few days, could be a few months. Maybe you could help me take it off until then?” he squinted and offered her a paltry smile in askance.

“Or I could fix it.” Toni stated matter-of-factly.

“You’d do that?” Surprise colored his words.

“Sure. To be frank, I’ve wanted to get my hands on your arm since I saw it, in any way you’d be willing of course.” Grinning, she tapped it with a small screwdriver she held in her hand.

“I’ve never been more grateful to be objectified.” he teased.

They spent the next hour looking for subjects to talk about while she worked on the arm. Toni brought up Pepper and Rhodey, keeping away from anything that might hint to her public identity. It just wasn't something she wanted to discuss with what would most likely be a one night stand. James did share some stories about his time serving in the military. It was mostly of hijinks he had between missions, which she suspected might have been classified from the way he danced around them. She did learn that he had been a highly trained sniper. Toni did pick up that he avoided mentioning anything from his civilian life but from the sounds of it, he'd spent most of his twenties overseas.

“Alright,” she said, snapping the metal p!aging back in place. “That should do it. Give the arm a whirl.”

James slowly lifted the arm and flexed his fingers. A look of surprise and joy spread over his face.

“Wow! It's not lagging even a little bit!” The smile he gave her had her heart doing a flip in her chest. “Thank you so much! How can I ever repay you?”

Standing up, she moved into his space. “Oh, I think I have something in mind.” 

Leaning down, she pressed her lips against his. James hummed happily against her mouth, hands reaching up for her waist and pulling her close between his legs. Toni slid her arms around his neck loosely.

His hands slid up under her shirt and she shivered against the cool metal. He broke the kiss and moved to her neck. She slowly began to move her hips against his, looking for more friction. With a deep growl, his hands made their way to her ass, helping grind her harder into him.

A buzzing sound threw off their rhythm. James seemed inclined to ignore it but she pulled back and looked down at him.

“A call this late doesn't seem like one you should ignore.”

“It's probably someone just wondering when I’ll get home. Hadn't been my intention to find a gorgeous, genius woman to spend the night with.”

He pulled her back to him, his lips returning to his neck. The moment didn't last long before his phone vibrated again. With a huff, James pulled out the phone and answered.

“What?” He asked sharply. 

Toni watched as his expression suddenly changed to surprise and slight panic. 

“But she’s not due for another week.” 

Trying not to listen too closely to the personal call, she turned back to her worktable and began cleaning up. So focused on not listening, it took her a few minutes to realize when James went silent. Turning her attention back to him, she saw him frowning at his phone. 

“Is everything okay?” 

Her voice seemed to snap him out of whatever revere he was in. 

“I, uh, should head out. My family needs me.” He stood, but seemed to hesitate before leaning in and dropping a kiss on her cheek. “Sorry I’m leaving you hanging.”

Toni followed as he began to make his way out. “Hailing a cab this late is a nightmare and the subway will take forever. Let me at least drive you to where you need to go.”

Pausing on the stairs, he looked up at her. “I couldn’t ask you to wake up your chauffeur at this hour.”

With a grin, she crossed her arms. “Who said anything about waking up Happy?”

She led the way down to her garage, shutting down any excuse he tried to make about being an inconvenience. Honestly, this had been the most entertaining night Toni’d had in ages. 

It only took Toni twenty minutes to get them to the address James had provided. Perhaps it was a bit careless at the speed she was going, but the address had belonged to a hospital and she thought it prudent to get there as fast as possible.

“So what floor and room are they in?” She asked as she parked near the entrance and climbed out of the car.

“The Maria Stark Maternity Ward.” He answered as he looked at his phone.

Toni did her best to hide her flinch at the mention of her mother's name. It shouldn't have been a surprise that they were walking into a place that carried one of her parent’s names on it. They had contributed to many different places. Hell, there were even a few that still bared her deadname and one or two newer places sporting her new name. 

As they neared the room, Toni realized she’d just followed an almost complete stranger into their private family situation. Before she could say anything to give James a proper goodbye, someone rushed out of one of the rooms and nearly crashed into James in their hurry.

“Thank god you're here, Buck! Becca hasn’t made it back with your ma yet and the baby is already coming. Can you please keep them company when they get here?” 

“Steve, breath. Everything will be fine and yes, I will help them when they get here. Now go, Peggy will rip you a new one if you're gone too long.”

Toni watched the two part before speaking up. 

“So, Buck, I guess we should head to the waiting area.” 

With a blush and a nod, he led the way. “I usually go by Bucky. Steve didn't like James so they started calling me Bucky and it’s stuck ever since.”

“I think it’s cute.” She tried to stifle a giggle as she watched Bucky’s cheeks redden more. “Well, Bucky, it wasn’t my intention to barge into such a family situation, so I’ll-”

“James Buchanan Barnes, you picked the worst night to go off galavanting around the city!”

He brought a hand up to his exhausted face and Toni turned around to come face to face with two women who were very clearly related to him. The younger one looked at Bucky and just shrugged her shoulders before moving to the chairs nearby. The other made her way over and pulled him into a hug.

“I wasn’t galavanting, ma.”

“Uh huh.” the elder woman side eyed Toni, lifting an eyebrow.

Unconsciously, Toni lifted her hands to her shirt and was horrfinly reminded that she hadn’t really gathered herself and neither had Bucky. Her shirt was half unbuttoned, her short hair a mess, and she would bet anything that she was displaying a few fresh hickeys. 

“Ma, Bucky is a grown ass man, he can do what he wants to.” Toni took a wild stab and guessed that the woman they were joining in the waiting room chairs was Bucky’s sister.

“You're awfully laid back for someone who’s wife is giving birth.” Bucky said to her. “Don’t you wanna be in the room for support?”

“Yeah, no, I already told Peggy I wasn’t going to be in there. If she wants me to have our second child, then no way in hell am I seeing a live birth, even if it’s a c-section.” Tapping her brother’s metal arm in reassurance, she sighed. “Besides, I think Steve has been doing all the worrying for me.”

Their mother popped up in her seat and clapped her hands. “Speaking of, have you found a donor?”

“None that I like. Peggy says I’m being too picky, and Steve has offered to donate a second time, but I want to keep looking a little longer.”

“Well, you two are certainly putting more thought into it than I ever did.” the eldest Barnes laughed, a lovely deep rumble.

“Ma!” both of her children retorted.

Toni couldn’t help the laugh of her own. Unfortunately, this reminded the others that she was there.  _ Fortunately _ , they were interrupted before they could question her.

“Barnes-Carter family? The baby is ready to meet you.” the nurse said, leading them all to Peggy’s room. 

Toni hung back, not wanting to just straight up leave without talking to Bucky before she did. Tagging along silently, she stood by the door and watched as Becca shoved her brother out of the way.

“She’s my daughter, I’m holding her first.” Laughter once more erupted from everyone, Toni included, as Steve handed over the baby. 

“She’s so beautiful.” Bucky said, looking over his sister’s shoulder in awe. 

Toni’s breath caught. This man she’d only met a few hours ago was slowly but surely captivating her. She had only wanted to liven up his evening from is dour demeanor earlier, but his charming personality and now the earnestness he has with his family had something stirring within Toni she hadn’t felt in a long time. 

Her eyes roamed around the room, taking in the familial love radiating off everyone. It was something she never had and thought was only in fairy tales and the silver screen. If she hadn’t felt like an intruder before, she certainly did now.

But the part that had her slipping silently out the door was the look Steve was giving Bucky as he finally got to hold the baby. The only reason Toni even recognized it was because she remembered seeing Jarvis turn that gaze on his wife, Ana, so many times. It was nothing short of pure unfiltered love.

* * *

Bucky sank into the couch. He didn’t know why he thought it had been a good idea to visit the bar yet again. It was almost tradition that he would go at least once a week for nearly a whole year at this point in the vague hope that he’d see her again. Natasha had stuck in his mind. Something about her had just nestled in and refused to leave. 

She was there when the vet clinic asked if he wanted to be a candidate for an experimental prosthetic. Bucky had absolutely jumped on that opportunity. And boy, was he immediately grateful. Not only was it lighter and reacted with almost no lag time whatsoever, he was able to  _ feel  _ again. The technology was amazing. All he wanted to do was show it to Natasha. Instead he wrote weekly reports to a Virginia Potts who was the liaison with the engineer working on the arm. 

She was there when Becca announced that she was pregnant. The donor asked to remain anonymous but had been willing to help with  _ all _ the bills. It wasn’t the only factor Becca said she’d picked the donor for but it had definitely helped make the decision. He had spent that night remembering the taste of Natasha’s lips before they had visited the hospital.

She was there when Bucky finally landed a job. As much as living off a stipend from the government was, he had been going stir crazy. It wasn’t anything fancy, but it was a mechanic job working on fancy vehicles. Once or twice he wondered if the sedan he was working on belong to Happy. 

“No luck again, Buck?” Steve said as they stepped out of their room, rubbing sleepily at their face.

The one place Natasha seemed to disappear was when he was with his best friend. He’d moved out of his sister’s apartment after a couple weeks of sleepless nights with the baby. He hadn’t planned on living with Becca and Peggy long, and little Sarah had made it very easy to stay motivated in finding a place. Luckily, it had lined up with Steve’s previous apartment’s contract expiring. Before Bucky joined the army, they had intended to move into an apartment together after graduating. It was quite a few years later, but now they could be best friends  _ and _ roommates. Steve had been thrilled.

“No, but Sam says hi.” 

“Maybe I should go with you next time, be an extra pair of eyes?”

“That’s not necessary.”

Steve sat on the couch next to Bucky, pulling their legs up under them. “Why do you keep looking?”

Looking over at them, Bucky took in their disappointment they were trying to school on their face. He knew they were just worried, and honestly he couldn’t blame them. How else were you supposed to act when your best friend was chasing a ghost?

Bucky had entertained the thought about dating Steve. There was no doubt in his heart that he cared deeply about them. But after all these years, it just felt like it was too late. Besides, he was firmly convinced that Steve saw him as nothing more than their brother. Any love they had for Bucky purely familial. 

“I don’t know how to explain it.” he sighed. “Natasha, she...there was just something there. It was small but intense. I don’t think I’d call it love at first sight, but it was definitely close.”

Steve nodded though they didn’t seem to really appreciate the answer. “How long do you think you’ll keep at it?”

Standing and rounding the couch to head to his room, he replied, “As long as it takes.”

* * *

“Ugh, why do I have to be in a wheelchair! I can walk, for christ sakes.” 

Steve watched as Bucky pressed down on Becca’s shoulders to keep her in the chair. Peggy was standing in front of her wife with their new baby, watching the siblings in amusement. 

“Becca, hun, just stay in the chair before you give your brother an aneurysm.” Peggy dropped a quick kiss on her head before walking over to Steve, who had a sleepy Sarah tucked against their side.

“Ready to go home, pumpkin?” they said, running their fingers through Sarah’s hair. She looked up at them and shook her head, burying into their neck. 

Steve still marvelled at what few features she had gotten from them. There was still a high chance her eyes would darken, but as she hit the one year mark a few months ago, it was looking likely that Sarah had gotten Steve’s blue eyes. 

“Thank you.” they murmured to Peggy.

Shaking her head and shifting the newborn, she flicked Steve on the nose. “Stop that, being sentimental. It’s way past old.”

“Well, if this isn’t a pleasant sight! Fancy meeting you guys here.”

Steve looked up and leaning against the nearby counter was the ever elusive Natasha sporting a green cast around her wrist. With wide eyes, Steve looked over at Bucky. He stood there in awe, mouth moving as he tried to find the words. They gave him a look but it seemed to be overlooked. Turning back, Steve nearly startled. Natasha was much closer now, looking down at the baby in Peggy’s arm in an unreadable expression.

“What are you doing here? Weren’t you supposed to stay anonymous?” Winnifred, Bucky and Becca’s mother, was storming through the double doors, car keys in her hand waving wildly.

“I-no, no ma’am!” Natasha had her hands up in front of her, showing off the cast. “I just got myself injured and this was the nearest hospital.”

“Likely story. As much as I appreciate the new grandchild, we had an agreement. Don’t try to renege on that now.” Though Winnie was shorter, she was something fierce and Natasha was slowly stepping back.

Steve watched as Natasha’s whole demeanor shifted. She straightened the sleeves of her dress shirt and stood tall, face incredible neutral. 

“My apologies, I have no intention of being a bother for your family. I will get out of your hair and you’ll never have to see me again.” 

As she turned and walked away, Steve caught sight of something fluttering down from her hand. Out of the corner of their eye, they saw Bucky take off, finally going after Natasha. They careful crouched down, careful not to jostle Sarah, and picked up the hospital wrist band. Turning it over in their hand, the name ‘Stark, Antonia N.”. Steve’s brow furrowed, knowing that name, but not quite sure from where.

Bucky returned as they were loading up the car, looking more defeated than he had in ages. Steve moved over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Did you-?” before they could even finish asking, Bucky was glaring at his mother.

“I wish you hadn’t done that, ma.” Steve could see the wetness in his eyes. “I’ve been looking for her for months.”

Winnie looked over at her son, confused. “I had no idea. And I certainly couldn’t mention her after-”

“After what, ma? I am clearly missing something.” Bucky stepped closer to the car where the women were gathered. 

“Toni, she was the anonymous donor for Harrison.” Becca said, looking down at the newborn nestled in her arms. 

At the mention of her actual name, it was like puzzle pieces snapped into place. Steve only vaguely knew about her business and family, but they knew what an icon she was in the LGBT community. Toni Stark had come out as a transwoman about fifteen years ago and as one of the most prominent and influential people in New York, it had been a big deal. But then ten years ago she had basically fallen off the social scene, even handing over her company to Pepper Potts. Occasionally, her named showed up on events and her support for the community never wavered, but no one had actually seen her in years. 

“Toni? I thought her name was Natasha.” Bucky asked, confused.

“That woman back there was Toni Stark. You didn’t-” Winnie sighed as a realization hit her. “She must have given you a false name. It seems the Natasha you’ve been talking about all year never existed.” 

Bucky ran a hand over his face as he took in a deep breath. Taking his hand, Steve squeezed it in reassurance.

“Why don’t we figure this out at home?” they whispered. 

It was a moment before Bucky gave them a nod, squeezing Steve’s hand back. Standing in the middle of a hospital driveway was the least helpful place to figure out a mess of a situation.

* * *

Steve felt marginally bad while they quickly scrolled through Bucky’s email on his phone. Their roommate was in the shower and Steve didn’t have long. Though it was a prototype and discussion about it was minimal, they did know that Bucky’s new arm was from Stark Industries and that he had been communicating with someone about said arm. 

Finally they found an email from someone by the name Virginia Potts and copied it down before returning the phone to Bucky’s nightstand. Steve was determined to find a way to get Bucky and Toni together, no matter how much it hurt their heart. 

Almost since the beginning of knowing each other, Steve had been hopelessly in love with Bucky, but they vowed they’d never let it come between their friendship. For years, Steve stood by his side, supporting him through his military career, his transition, terrible relationships, never wavering. Of all the past partners Bucky had, none seemed to capture his heart the way Toni had, especially in such a short time.

They spent nearly a full day trying to craft an email that didn’t sound like it was from a creeper. Still, by the time they sent it to Virginia, Steve was still certain the message would be received poorly. 

A few days passed with no answer. Steve was trying not to worry about it, after all, he had looked into who Virginia Potts was and learned she was the current CEO of Stark Industries, taking over for Toni when she resigned. She also happened to be one of Toni’s closest friends, according to many of the gossip sites. Still, they thought getting some answers would be better than being ignored.

It was nearly two weeks when Steve finally got an answer in return.

_ I apologize for the delayed response. After some discussion with Ms. Stark, she has declined to set up a meeting. She is a private person and rarely ventures out these days.  _

_ Please accept this gift card to a small local cafe as apologies. If I may, I recommend stopping by on a Tuesday afternoon. They make the tastiest croissants with fresh whipped cream and berries.  _

_ Sincerely, _

_ Virginia “Pepper” Potts _

Steve looked at their screen, confused for a moment. Why was she giving them a gift card of all things? Then it clicked into place and they let out a small excited gasp. 

“Why you clever woman.” 

* * *

Steve sat at a table near the back corner where they could see the whole cafe. It was small and had almost been hidden between two much larger brand name stores. The place was certainly filled with more locals than tourists, which was always a risk when you were nearly in the heart of Manhattan. 

Sketching lightly in their drawing pad, Steve whiled away the afternoon. At the moment, since they were the only customer in the cafe, they were simply sketching the scenery. The cafe had a lovely, homey feel to it, a gorgeous wooden decor without overdoing it. So zoned into the drawing, Steve nearly jumped out of their skin when the lone employee in the cafe spoke from just behind them.

“You’re really good at that.” 

“Holy- Peter!” Out of habit, Steve immediately slammed the sketch pad face down on the table.

“Sorry.” The younger man said sheepishly. “I didn’t mean to.”

Waving a hand, they let out a sigh. “It’s fine, it’s fine. So what’s up?”

“Bored. Oh and I made you another chai tea latte.” Peter placed the cup on the table and sat in the chair next to Steve. “So...uh, can’t help but notice you’ve been here for three hours now…”

Steve hummed in acknowledgment as they sipped on the freshly made latte. 

“Any particular reason? If you were a writer, I’d get that, but,” tapping the sketch pad, he continued. “Most artists don’t take to cafes, or at least not the slow ones.”

“Yes.” Steve said. “Or well, I do have a reason, but not sure I’m comfortable talking about it with someone I barely know.”

Setting their drink aside, Steve picked up their pad to resume sketching. 

Peter kept rattling on, trying to get Steve to talk more, but as Steve kept mum, especially about why they were there in the first place, he began to just fill the air with stories. Some were about his boyfriend, a few about his aunt, and others still about his friends. Steve returned to sketching, content to just listen to Peter babble on.

Eventually Peter had to return to the counter as a new customer walked in. Steve barely registered them as they walked up to order, too focused on getting the lighting just right on their cup. 

“Hey, kid, how’s your day been?”

“Oh, you know, the usual doldrum of every day customer service. Can’t say it’s been too exciting. So what caffeinated concoction shall I make for you today, Ms. Stark?” 

Startled nearly as badly as when Peter had looked over their shoulder earlier, Steve shot out of their chair, knocking their latte over. They ignored the liquid soaking into their sketch pad and made their way over to the counter.

“Toni!” It wasn’t hard to grab her attention since both Toni and Peter were looking at them surprised by the outburst.

“Steve?” Toni began to back away from the counter, toward the glass door.

“Please, can we talk?”

“I don’t know about that. I don’t have much to say to you.” The words were a little harsh, but her demeanor wasn’t. Instead she just looked slightly nervous as her eyes darted around the cafe, looking for something, or rather someone.

“Bucky’s not here. It’s just me.” Steve held up their hands placatingly. “I am sorry for the ambush, but I really, really want to talk to you. Please?”

Toni’s hand was on the door, but she hesitated.

“Do I need to get Happy, Ms. Stark?” Peter asked, phone in hand, after a few moments of silence.

Shaking her head, Toni took a small step from the door, eyes studying Steve. “No. It’s fine. Just start me out with a standard double espresso.”

Steve led the way over to the table they had been occupying, stopping short at the sight of the spilled latte. Sighing, they turned towards the counter to grab napkins but Peter was already on his way with a couple of small towels. It took a moment for them and Peter to clean the liquid up, but once finished, Peter left the two to talk.

“Alright, what did you want to talk about?” Toni asked as Steve examined their sketch pad.

“Bucky had been trying to find you for months now.”

“I know.”

Steve sat up straighter and frowned. “You knew? Why didn’t you say or do something?”

“I barely know him.” Nodding a thank you to Peter as he sat her drink down, she sipped on her drink, not breaking eye contact with Steve.

They refused to be cowed by the intensity. “Then why did you help Peggy and Becca with their second child? That doesn’t seem like something someone would do for someone they aren’t interested in.”

Toni sat her cup down and took a deep breath. “There was something innate about Bucky as soon as I saw him at the bar. I couldn’t resist finding a way to make his frown go away. And even though it didn’t go according to any kind of plan, we had some time to talk while I fixed his arm.” Steve lifted an eyebrow and Toni just gave a small chuckle. “His prosthetic stopped working while clasping my shirt.” 

Steve couldn’t help throwing their head back, bringing one of their hands to their chest. The image Toni had described was just their best friends luck.

“I am so teasing him about that later, he never told me that.” Wiping a tear from their eye, their expression returned to a more serious state. “There’s a ‘but’ coming though, isn’t there?”

“Seeing Bucky with his family, with you...the feelings blindsided me.” She shrugged. “I ran.”

“Me?”

“He may be dense, but I saw the way you look at him.” 

Steve felt their face heat up. “Wh-what?”

Toni simply waved the indignant question off. “I was not then, and have no intention now of coming between you two.” Bringing her hand to her chest, her other idly tapping her espresso cup, she sighed. “It’s been ten years, but relationships still make me nervous anyway.”

“Why?” Steve clapped a hand over their mouth. “Shit, sorry, that was rude.”

Laughing, Toni tilted her head. “It’s alright. I can talk about it now, but for the longest time, it’s what kept me afraid of even leaving my house. The man I trusted and loved with all my heart, we were engaged by the way, he had me kidnapped while I was overseas for work. It was the scariest three months of my life. The kidnappers did a lot of things to me, but they left me with one massive reminder. I have a lot of scar tissue all over my torso where they attempted to cut my breast off. Then after I returned, it was still another six months before I found out it had been my fiance behind the whole ordeal. So yeah, I ran scared when I realized Bucky was someone I could fall for.”

Steve’s eyes were wide with shock. “That’s horrible.”

“I’m working through it, with the help of Pepper, Rhodey and a therapist.” 

They both sat in silence for a few minutes, giving Steve a chance to digest what they had just learned. 

“I’m not trying to force anything to happen between you two, but you’ve been all Bucky could think or talk about. It’d mean a lot if you could at least talk to him. If nothing else, give him some kind of closure.”

“How about we all have dinner together?” Toni asked. 

“Why dinner?” 

“It offers a neutral space and I like having something to do with my hands when I’m nervous.” 

Offering her a smile, they nodded. “I can get behind that.” 

* * *

Toni climbed out of the sedan and reassured Happy she’d be fine. The evening air was warm and crisp, filled with the voices of those out on the town for the night. She looked into the glass front of the restaurant, curious to which table management had chosen. It was probably a bit much for their tastes, but she couldn’t help but rent out the whole restaurant for the evening. She just wanted to make it a memorable night. 

Hesitating, she knew she shouldn’t have come but she just couldn’t resist. She was already thirty minutes late. Tapping her phone, she turned to walk into the bar. Toni had no intention of going to that dinner but she couldn’t resist the opportunity to give Steve and Bucky a romantic night. 

If she had had more time, she could have set up a better surveillance system so she could have viewed the restaurant from her home, but instead she needed to be closer. Was she being a bit of a creeper? Yeah, she wouldn’t deny herself that, but once she set her mind to something, it stuck. She’d play matchmaker, no matter how many times Pepper sighed and shook her head at Toni. 

She’d barely sat down on a stool at the bartop when she spotted a familiar head of blonde hair on the seat next to her. “Steve?”

They turned towards her, shot glass tipped back. Spluttering in surprise, Steve started coughing. Toni tapped them on the back and handed them a napkin to cough into. 

Once they managed to catch their breath, they glared at Toni accusingly. “You’re trying to set me up!”

“What are you doing here?” Toni deflected the accusation quickly.

Steve’s face went red. “I was going to go, I swear!”

“Were you-? You were trying to set  _ me _ up!”

“How could I not? Bucky has been obsessed with you for ages.” Steve waved their hands at Toni.

Shaking her head, she said, “Even so, he’ll get over me. You are way better for him. You’ve known him for how long?”

“I can’t do that, he doesn’t like me that way. Besides, you’ve already done so much for him. Come on, that prosthetic? That’s your work, isn’t it?” 

“So, do I get a say in these matters?”

“No!” came the automatic reply from Toni and Steve as they turned to look at the newcomer. Their faces dropped into horrified surprise.

Bucky stood with his arms crossed, looking beyond irate. “You know, it’s  _ very _ rude to stand someone up.” He looked pointedly at Toni.

“Sorry.” Shamefaced, Steve managed to not duck their head. “How did you find us?”

“Steve, you turned on your life360 app, of course I could find you.” He held up his phone, waving it sarcastically. “And I spotted you, Toni, walking into the bar when I came out to get Steve.”

“Bucky-” Toni started to say something before being cut off.

“Nope. We can have this conversation over dinner. I am very hungry right now because I’ve been waiting for a while for my dates to show the fuck up in a very nice, obviously expensive restaurant. Seriously, Toni?” Bucky threw his hands up in the air. “Now you two are going to get your asses up and march across the street and we are going to have a fan-fucking-tastic time on our date.”

“Dates? As in dating both of us?” she asked.

“It’s called polyamory, we can discuss it later. Move it.”

“Is he always this demanding?” Toni questioned Steve as they both stood up and made their way out of the bar.

Laughing, Steve glanced over their shoulder, smiling at Bucky. “He can get pretty vicious when he’s hangry.”

“I said move it!” 

**Author's Note:**

> I've gotten attached to these versions of these three and def want to explore them more. Might make a series of oneshots if I do get a chance to visit with these characters again.
> 
> And many thanks to [justanotherpipedream](https://archiveofourown.org/users/justanotherpipedream/pseuds/justanotherpipedream) for being my super last minute beta! I had not intended for this to be so last minute but real life ya know.


End file.
